Barbeque, in the southern and Midwest parts of the United States, consists of slow-cooking meat over indirect heat. Chicken, beef, pork, sausage, ham, and ribs can all be barbequed – even mutton is sometimes barbequed, at least in Kentucky. With so many ways to make so many dishes, the perfect way to make barbequed meat can be a regional “bone” of contention.
In Memphis, Tennessee, barbeque is almost a religion. Barbeque ribs – most often pork, are cooked for long hours, until the meat is so tender that it is ready to fall off the bone. The city bills itself as the pork barbeque capital of the world, and has over one hundred barbeque restraints to back up that claim, many of whom participate in the annual pork cook off that is listen the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest pork barbeque contest anywhere.
The contest, part of the celebration called “Memphis in May”, draws some 90,000 cooks and spectators. Competitors come from fifty smaller cook offs sponsored by the main contest. It even runs a series of training seminars for potential barbeque judges. Good barbeque, they say, is all about being tender, without being too mushy, and being smoky, without being overpowering.
Ribs commonly come “wet,” that is, with barbeque sauce of some kind, usually mild and sweet in Memphis and basted on before and after cooking, or “dry,” with a dry rub of herbs and spices that is applied during or right after cooking. Regardless of which style is favored, the taste of the meat should come through – this is what separates good barbeque from something lathered with barbeque sauce and put in the oven for a few hours. In Missouri, there are not one, but two predominant styles of barbeque, both of which favor beef, which is not surprising given the history of both Kansas City and St. Louis as “cattle towns.” They share a tomato-based sauce that is added after cooking, and can be replicated by mixing ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Interestingly, Missouri’s Ozarks are the source of almost half of the charcoal briquettes produced in the United States.
Kansas City, like Memphis, has a large number of barbeque restaurants and hosts several annual competitions. However, it is particularly famous for its sauces, which are thick, rich, tangy, and spicy. The sauce is basted on during the last few moments of cooking, and more can be added thereafter. Dry rub, too, is common on Kansas City style barbeque.
In St. Louis style barbeque, ribs are the flagship dish. These famous spare ribs are a rack of ribs with the chine bone and brisket bone removed. They are cooked with a sauce that is less vinegary, tangier and thinner than its cross-state equivalent, closer, in fact, to that served in Memphis.
Whether sweet or spicy, dry or wet, slow cooked or grilled over an open flame, barbeque is one of the most diverse of all American foods, and one to which many cities lay claim. Each has its own unique character, so get some bread and crackers, or some cole slaw, or even beans, (all traditional barbeque side dishes) and give them a try.
For sunflower pictures and pictures of sunflowers, visit the Sunflower Plant website.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/lets-go-barbeque-1037897.html
Filed under Techniques by on Jul 14th, 2009. Comment. 
There is nothing that says you take your grilling seriously quite like a barbeque pit.
If you want to feed a small army with a heaping helping of barbeque then a barbeque pit is for you. Anyone can use one, from your grill crazy neighbor down the street to people who cook barbeque for a living. You can get one in any shape, size or price range; it just depends on your needs. There is nothing you can’t barbeque on them, except for perhaps a whole cow, but there is probably one out there that can handle that as well.
Not everyone understands what a barbeque pit is.
A charcoal filled pit slow cooking a pig all day is what most people envision. Now while that is still a barbequing method that works today, the modern barbeque pit, as most people from barbeque happy parts of the country know, is a modern marvel of grilling magic.
In the hands of a skilled griller a barbeque pit will produce mouth watering meals time after time. The barbeque pits on the market today are built well and can take thousand degree temperatures with ease.
You can keep your barbeque pit in tip top shape for many years if you follow these few tips.
- Before you fire up your barbeque pit for the first time it is a good idea to coat the inside with cooking oil. If you look you can find oil made just for barbeque pits.
- Once you have a nice coat of oil on the inside of your pit make a small fire in its center and let it heat the pit and the oil until it has burnt out.
- After about two hours your barbeque pit will be properly seasoned and you can start barbequing.
Andrew Bicknell is a barbeque aficionado with a website about barbequing. For more tips and trick about barbeque pits visit his web site Backyard Barbeque.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/barbeque-pits-the-ultimate-bbq-experience-948141.html
Filed under Grills and Smokers by on Jul 1st, 2009. Comment.
Long before the advent of charcoal briquettes and propane people were cooking their meals over wood fueled fires.
From the days of cave-men to less than one hundred years ago wood was the fuel of choice when it came to cooking. In this modern age we are constantly looking for a faster, cleaner and easier way to do everything, including preparing our meals. This has led to the development of bigger accessory laden gas fueled grills lining the isles of home improvement stores and showing up in our backyards.
But for the barbeque purists out there nothing tastes quite the same as preparing their favorite barbeque dish over a wood fired grill.
Why is this? What could possibly work better then the latest and greatest in barbecue technology?
Depending on the type of wood used the “Grill-Master” (that guy who hovers over the grill creating barbecue master pieces) can create flavors in the meat, poultry or fish that just cannot be had over a more modern gas fueled grill. This flavor can further be adjusted just by the amount of wood used, how hot the fire is, and how much smoke the meat is allowed to marinate in.
There are several types of wood fired barbeques on the market today. They are sometimes referred to as smoker grills. The offset firebox is the one most of us are used to seeing. These come in all sizes, from small family sized units to large trailer born monsters capable of feeding several hundred people.
The distinguishing characteristic of the offset firebox is, well the offset firebox. Set off to the side and slightly below the main cooking chamber is the firebox. This separates the food from direct heat and allows for a nice slow cooking temperature.
The bullet style smoker is not actually a smoker but more of what is called a cold smoker or water smoker. They use a pan of water between the heat source and the meat, thereby blocking any direct heat that would cause any overcooking. In a sense they are not really considered a barbecue because of the way they work.
The main chamber cooker is the third type of wood fired barbeque. These are barrel shaped and allow the fire to be built off to one side with the meat offset from the wood allowing for an indirect cooking method. You do need to be careful with how large of a fire gets built because there is no physical separation between the heat source and the meat. The fire need to be kept small and tended in a timely manner throughout the cooking process.
Of course all this is a moot point if you do not select the right type of wood.
For a wood fired barbecue nothing works better than a fruit bearing hardwood such as oak, hickory, pecan, maple apple and of course from Texas mesquite.
Do not use softwoods or the wood from evergreens or conifers. Aside from burning at a lower temperature they are loaded with sap which will leave a bad taste on anything you cook.
Cooking meat over a wood fire has been something humans have been doing for thousands of years. With the newer and more modern wood barbecue smokers on the market today it is possible for just about anyone to enjoy real wood fired barbecue.
Andrew Bicknell is a barbeque aficionado with a website about barbequing. For more tips and trick about wood fired barbecues visit his web site Backyard Barbeque.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/cooking-with-a-wood-fired-barbecue-952127.html
Filed under Uncategorized by on Jun 3rd, 2009. Comment.
Recent Comments by Readers